Joseph P. McCarthy, Radio Host, 62

Published: August 19, 1995

DETROIT, Aug. 18—
Joseph Priestly McCarthy, who was known as the king of Detroit's morning drive-time radio for three decades and whose broadcasts were heard in much of North America, died on Wednesday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was 62 and lived in suburban Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

The cause was myelodisplastic syndrome, a blood disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells.

For more than 30 years, Mr. McCarthy's mild, neighborly tones accompanied not only Detroiters but also people across the Midwest on their morning drives to work. His station, WJR, calls itself the "great voice of the Great Lakes" because its 50,000-watt clear channel signal reaches 38 states and much of Canada.

While he dwelled on Detroit issues dear to his own heart, like the Tigers' prospects in the American League and the needs of local charities, he also regularly interviewed national figures, like Hubert H. Humphrey, Chuck Yeager and President Clinton.

After his medical condition was made public on Aug. 3, thousands of Michigan residents volunteered for blood testing to determine whether they could provide the bone marrow transplant he needed.

He is survived by his wife, Judy; three sons, John, of Novi, Mich., Kevin, of Scottsdale, Ariz., and James, of Bloomfield Hills; three daughters, Susan Woodring of Adrian, Mich., Diane Morse, also of Scottsdale, and Kathleen Dunlap of Troy, Mich.; his mother, Martha McCarthy of Jupiter, Fla., and 11 grandchildren.